The Spectator and the Muses

BOOK REVIEW: The Girls

Cline’s debut novel is a masterclass of how literary (and at times poetic) detail can both advance the plot and reveal character in a single stroke. The perennial male gaze upon the female characters gets subverted by become a female gaze, with all the dark understanding and thought processes that women experience. Even though the plot is simply a reinterpretation of the Manson murders, that’s simply a tool for Cline to focus on the setting and the characters–with tremendous effect.